The upcoming entry into the Marvel Studios franchise will see a gay male superhero who is married and has a family appear as a lead character in the ensemble.

The story follows a group of powered beings created by the god-like Celestials who must battle their counterparts The Deviants and have done so for centuries.

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige revealed to Good Morning America that this character would feature in the film, but did not confirm their name or the actor portraying them.

Kevin Feige said: "He’s married, he’s got a family, and that is just part of who he is."

The move comes after it was previously confirmed that Thor character Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) would be making her LGBTQ+ status very clear in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder which will also see a female Thor.

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The leading male cast members in The Eternals include Bodyguard star Richard Madden as the cosmic-powered Ikaris, his Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harington as non-Eternal character Dane Whitman/Black Knight, Brian Tyree Henry as Phastos, Kumail Nanjiani as Kingo, Don Lee as Gilgamesh, and Barry Keoghan as Druig.

The film also stars Angelina Jolie as Athena, Salma Hayek as the leader of the Eternals known as Ajak, Lia McHugh as Sprite, and Gemma Chan as lead character Sersi.

Chan previously played the minor role of Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel, albeit under heavy make-up.